, had rounded a bend in the trench with a bayonet man of his team
when they came under fire from a few yards range from an erection at
the junction of the main communication trench with G11A. The bayonet man
was killed and Lieut. Aitken wounded in the arm and leg. By this time
the enemy were beginning to throw grenades from their central
communication trench and getting them into G11A. Lieut. Milne, Lieut.
M'Dougall and many of the men were wounded. The parties were crowded,
there being about forty of all ranks in twelve yards of trench; the
assault party was entering the trench at its northern end and the tunnel
was still full of the rear parties coming down. Communication with the
attack commander was impossible, and Lieut. Leith, who was the only
unwounded officer in the trench, decided to erect a barricade at the
furthest point which had been reached. The barricade was completed by
3.30 p.m., and during its erection grenades were constantly thrown at
the enemy communication trench but with little effect, as they had to be
thrown uphill from the trench while the enemy's grenades frequently
rolled down into it. In the meantime another grenade party under Lieut.
Pitchford had entered the trench at its northern end; they found a party
of the enemy behind a barricade of bags about twenty yards up the
communication trench, which runs parallel to the nullah. On throwing a
few grenades the enemy began to retire. The grenadiers, however, and
Lieut. Pitchford advanced up the trench with a bayonet man, but on
arriving at the barricade he found none of his grenadiers had been able
to follow him as they had got entangled with the head of the assault
party which was pushing up G11A. As he went back to fetch his
grenadiers, the Turks reoccupied their barricade and opened a brisk
rifle-fire; he then decided to erect his barricade at the junction of
the trenches, and in spite of the enemy fire the work was carried out.

The assault party was now working up the trench from the tunnel. Captain
Frost led the party and was mortally wounded just as he reached the
parapet. He crawled back with difficulty, and in spite of his wounds
continued to direct the advance; the men were somewhat shaken by losing
their leader and were inclined to hang back, but C.S.M. M'Kean, who was
in the rear of the party and still in the tunnel, pushed his way
forward, put the necessary stiffening into the men and led them into the
trench. The consolidating party